There are 32 guns and 8 pieces of gear in SOCOM 4's multiplayer. You have the ability to choose two guns and two pieces of gear for your loadout. You cannot choose two guns from the same weapon class. The weapon classes are Sub-Machine Guns, Assault Rifles, Machine Guns, Shotguns, and Sniper Rifles.

Each weapon has 5 "Mod Levels." A Mod Level is like ranking up a gun. Each level unlocks a new attachment or upgrade for that particular weapon. You can view more about Mod Levels in the next section of this guide.

This section covers each weapon, their fire modes, their ammo capacity, and their Mod Levels. If you're unfamiliar with guns:

Full Auto

Fully Automatic weapons are weapons that fire one bullet after another while you hold down the trigger.

Semi Auto

Semi Automatic weapons are weapons that fire one bullet at a time. You must press the trigger each time to fire another bullet.

Action

Action weapons, such as pump action or bolt action, are weapons that fire one bullet at a time and require some sort of action to use the next bullet.

There are two factions in SOCOM 4's multiplayer - Spec Ops and Insurgents. You can only choose certain weapons depending on which faction you're assigned to. Zipper tried to balance out the weapons by creating similar weapons for each side.

There are a few factors to take under consideration when choosing the right gun. These factors are Damage, Accuracy, Range, Capacity, Rate, and Sound. There is a basic rundown of each gun when choosing the weapons from the loadout screen. Let's break down what each of these stats are:

Damage

Damage is pretty self explanatory when talking about weapons. This is the amount of damage a weapon can cause. Some weapons are flat out stronger than others. For instance, a sniper rifle can kill an enemy in less rounds than a Sub-Machine Gun. It seems like all weapons can kill an enemy in one shot to the head at close range. This is not always the case with weaker weapons at long range.

There are no hit markers or detectors when firing your weapon at an enemy. You will hear a slightly different noise when the bullets hit flesh as opposed to hitting steel.

Accuracy

Accuracy is how well you can get your rounds on the target. The more accurate the gun, the easier it is to get a bullet on the enemy. Accuracy can vary from gun to gun, but the fire modes will always make a difference. You will always be more accurate when firing your weapon in bursts or one round at a time - Semi-Automatic. Of course, you will get less rounds on the target over time when you fire that way. Aiming in and using weapon sights and scopes help improve your accuracy a whole lot too. Moving and your character's stance will also affect your accuracy.

Range

Range is a bit more complicated of a stat. Each bullet has a set amount of damage. This damage is always high when you're right next to your target. If your target is further off, your bullet will lose power and damage if it has to travel that far. The better range of a gun, the higher the damage it keeps over distance.

Capacity

Capacity is the amount of rounds a weapon can hold. This is a simple stat to take into account. If your weapon has a high rate of fire, you will need a high capacity or you will reload often. You have the ability to pick up more ammo if you walk over a dead body with the same weapon type as the one you're holding. If you're holding a Sub-Machine Gun and kill an enemy with a Sub-Machine Gun, you will pick up a few rounds. However, there is a max ammo capacity for each weapon.

Rate

Rate is short for rate of fire. Rate of fire is how fast a weapon can shoot. Rate of fire is important if you're in close quarters, but it can hurt you if you're firing at a long distance. Damage and rate of fire goes hand in hand as well. You don't need high rates of fire if your weapon is extremely powerful. Great examples are shotguns and sniper rifles. You can fire one round of these and kill an enemy. But, if you have a weak weapon, you may need a higher rate of fire to compensate.

Sound

Sound is often overlooked these days. Every weapon makes some amount of sound, some more than others. If you're trying to be stealthy, you will need a quieter gun. Suppressors help out a lot with sound, but not all weapons can utilize them. When firing your gun near an enemy, yellow curved lines will appear on their screen. You may see these same lines on your screen. It tells you the direction an enemy with a loud gun is. When you get red curved lines, it's the direction you're taking fire from. So it's very similar to being injured, but you're hearing the weapon instead of feeling it.

Gear

M67 Frag Grenade

Two explosive fragmentation grenade. Each grenade has a 3 second timer. Unfortunately, you cannot cook grenades. The instant you thrown them, they will start counting down.

AN-M8 Smoke

Four smoke grenades. Throw it to put up a smoke screen. Helpful if you or your team is pinned down, or if you and your team need to get to a covered objective.

M84 Flashbang

Four flashbangs. A flashbang is a grenade like device that temporarily blinds your enemies. Helpful for clearing rooms occupied by enemies. The flashbang has a 3 second timer.

BKT-ZX GasUnlocked at Level 2-3

Three gas grenades. Each BKT-ZX gas grenade slightly saps the enemy's health when they are within the gas cloud.

M18A1 ClaymoreUnlocked at Level 5

A motion detonated explosive. Set one anywhere on the map. If an enemy walks in front of it, the claymore will explode in a forward direction. Claymores can also be detonated by other explosives or bullets.

PNM MineUnlocked at Level 5

A pressure detonated explosive. Set one anywhere on the map. If an enemy walks directly on top of it, the mine will explode like a frag grenade. PNM Mines can also be detonated by other explosives or bullets. You can hear a faint beeping noise when near a PNM mine. Use that to your advantage.

MK3A2 ConcussionUnlocked around Level 5

Two concussion grenades. Concussion grenades temporarily disable the enemy's hearing. In addition to that, the enemy will be slightly damaged. Helpful for clearing rooms occupied by enemies. Enemies won't know which direction you're coming from if the sound is disabled. If the enemy is already injured, they could be killed from the concussion grenade. The concussion grenade has a 3 second timer.

PE4 ChargeUnlocked at Level 7

Three remote detonated explosives. The PE4 charges can stick to any surface. Your reticle must be on the charge in order to detonate it. PE4 Charges can also be detonated by other explosives or bullets.